Framed
by Kattz Maricle
Summary: Starfox has been framed! Corneria is out for their hides and they're forced to hide in enemy territory. Katt Monroe recruits Bill Gray to find out who the imposters are...
1. Chapter I

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F r a m e d 

-chapter one-

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By Kattz Maricle

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Through the sky of Corneria, an Arwing of the same make and model as those used by Star Fox flew steadily toward Corneria City. The Arwing is both decorated and is of the same design as well. As the jet entered the city, a volley of hyper laser fire erupted from it, barraging all ground transportation units that it could find. Releasing a smart bomb, the Arwing demolished a nearby building as it flew past at a high speed.

Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the Arwing ceased its destruction and fired its boosters, jetting out of the city.

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On the Great Fox, the members of Star Fox were enjoying, for once, a moment of relaxation. Peppy Hare was sitting in a chair in the Great Fox's lounge room and was reading a newspaper that he had gotten the day before. He never had the time to read it until now. Falco was in the gym area practicing his aim with his laser pistol. Slippy was in the docking bay working on his Arwing. As for Fox, he was sitting in an armchair in the lounge area, though he wasn't reading a newspaper like Peppy was. He had his arms crossed behind his head and his feet propped up, immersed in sleep.

Peppy looked over the top of his day old paper at Fox and chuckled. Fox was so much like his father and didn't even notice it. James McCloud could always be caught taking a nap between missions as if he didn't have a care in the world otherwise. 

"Message from General Pepper. Priority one." ROB64, the Great Fox's computer, suddenly blurted.

"Put it through." Peppy said as he stood up and walked over to where a small TV-like screen was. The general of the Cornerian Army's face flashed on the screen. "What is it, general?"

"The Star Fox team is under arrest." General Pepper spoke grimly, his face contorted into a look of anger. "Don't try to escape. Several Cornerian Fighters are already outside the Great Fox."

Peppy went wide-eyed. "What's this about? We haven't done anything wrong. You must be joking."

"I'm not joking. Look at this." On the screen appeared a recording of an Arwing destroying ground units lining the Cornerian City's streets. Peppy watched as a smart bomb struck a building, demolishing most of the upper floors and setting the rest of it aflame. 

Pepper's face came back on the screen.

"That Arwing had Star Fox's insignia on it. Are you telling me that fighter was not one of Star Fox's?"

"We've been in Katina space all day, sir. It couldn't possibly - "Peppy insisted.

"Until Star Fox can prove their innocence - "

"Sir - "

"- Cornerian prison awaits all of you." Pepper finished. "Prepare to be boarded and taken into custody."

The screen went blank. Peppy just stood there, stunned as to what had just happened. When he turned around, he saw Fox staring at him, standing not far away. By the look on his face he, too, had heard everything that had been said. Also, by the look on his face, he didn't believe a single word of it. 

"Well, Fox?" Peppy asked.

Fox's look went to one of determination. Peppy had seen that look many times before. "We can't find out the truth if we're in prison."

"What can we do? We know we're all innocent."

"We have to find somewhere to run to right now."

"You're running from the Cornerian Army? Fox, that's crazy!" Peppy exclaimed. "Even your father wouldn't have done something like that!"

Fox turned and ran to the bridge of the Great Fox, ignoring his friend's pleas.

"ROB, use your boost! Head for Sector X!" Fox commanded ROB64.

Outside, the Cornerian Fighters watched as the Great Fox fired its boosters and started to move away at a fast rate. The squadron leader ordered the fighters to immediately begin firing, but the lasers bounced off the Great Fox's hull harmlessly. Before the fighters could persue, space mines were ejected out the back of the Great Fox.

The fighters put on the brakes hard, slowing just in time before they got close enough to the mines to detonate them. They could only watch as the Great Fox flew away.


	2. Chapter II

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F r a m e d 

-chapter two-

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By Kattz Maricle

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Admist the freely floating scrap metal and dead, antique ships that were trashed, the Great Fox hid among it all. It traveled by a large trashed ship which appeared to be a battlecruiser of some sort. Whatever it was, the ship was large enough for the Great Fox to hide behind it easily.

Falco and Slippy had just heard the news. Fox had given it to them pretty bluntly.

"Why would they want to arrest us?" Slippy asked. "What did we do?"

"_We_ didn't do anything." Falco said, crossing his arms. "They think whoever was in that Arwing was one of us."

"Star Fox has the only Arwings, right?" Fox sat down on a couch, crossing his arms as he thought. "Who else could have one besides us and the Cornerian Army?"

"I got it!" Peppy exclaimed, hitting one paw with the other as realization hit him.

"What?" Fox blinked. 

"When James was captured, Andross probably got the designs for the Arwing! He had tons of time to study how to make one."

"Is Andross framing us?" Falco asked.

"Looks liek it." Fox said. "We have to find the imposter and shoot it down."

"Oh, _that'll_ be easy." Falco frowned." How will we know him apart from us in a dogfight?"

"You shot me and I'll let you know it, Falco." Fox retorted. 

"I might shoot Slippy just for fun."

"Hey!" Slippy frowned at the avian.

"Cornerian Fighters located on radar." ROB64 said. "Distance 90."

'They're close." Falco stood up from where he was sitting.

"Until we find the imposter we have to get the Great Fox out of Cornerian space." stated Fox. "It's too dangerous if they find it or us."

"Are you nuts?" Falco spat. "There is no neutral space! Venom'll be on our tails!"

"We can shoot Venom fighters down. WE can't shoot the Cornerians down." Peppy said.

"Cornerian Fighters. Distance 50." ROB64 reminded them.

Fox remembered the existence of warp gates in the Sector X area. With some luck the Great Fox should be able to get through. The Great Fox's duel laser system would be able to punch through the warp gates with no problem, opening them up in only a mere matter of nanoseconds. 

"ROB, take the Great Fox through the warp gates. We'll follow behind in the Arwings." Fox ordered the ship's computer. "We're heading for Sector Z."

"Affirmative." ROB64 replied.

Somehow the Great Fox got through unnoticed. Star Fox distracted the Cornerian Fighters just long enough for the Great Fox to get through. Soon the Arwings followed the Great Fox through. The warp gates closed just before the Cornerians were able to get through.

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The news on Cornerian channels blasted:

"Star Fox is now wanted for betraying Corneria. They have last been sighted fleeing into Venom space."

Katt Monroe blinked. Had she just heard what she thought she heard?


	3. Chapter III

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F r a m e d 

-chapter three-

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By Kattz Maricle

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"Sir, are you sure Star Fox did this?" Katt Monroe asked General Pepper.

"I know this is hard for you to believe, Monroe, but you saw just as well as I did what had happened." General Pepper looked up from his desk to her.

"Didn't Star Fox go against Andross and Venom under your command?" Katt insisted their innocence.

"They didn't destroy him! I see what reason they had for doing so!" pepper stood up and growled, a deep sound in his throat. "They were all in league with him! Katt Monroe, you had an affiliation with the Star Fox team before this incident. Perhaps you are on Andross' side as well?"

"General!"

"Good day, Monroe." pepper returned to his work and looked away from her.

Katt turned and left, not caring to stay there any longer. She knew that Star Fox was basically a mercenary group, but they would never turn to Andross, even for money. Especially not Fox or Peppy. If Falco even thought about it, she'd kill him!

All the same, she had to find out the truth. She couldn't do it alone, though. She needed someone else who believed in Star Fox's innocence. Right off paw she couldn't think of anything. Then it hit her.

Bill Grey.

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"Tell me why we're doing this again?" Bill Grey asked over the radio. Katt rolled her eyes in annoyance. This is at least the 20th time Bill had asked that question.

"What did I answer before?" Katt looked out of the window of her Catspaw at the Cornerian Fighter flying beside her. 

"I know what you answered before, but I still feel uneasy going against Corneria like this." Bill said. "It's like becoming traitors ourselves."

"We're not traitors." Katt tried to think of a better term. "We're do-gooders out to find the truth."

"Great. In this case, there's a difference." Bill muttered. His radio was still on, so Katt heard him.

"Listen, you want to help your pal Fox or not?" 

"Of course I wanna help Fox!"

"Then you'll help me track down this imposter, got it?"

"Got it."

"Ok, fly boy. Our first stop is Macbeth." Katt said matter-of-factly.

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	4. Chapter IV

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F r a m e d

-chapter four-

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By Kattz Maricle

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Macbeth was mostly covered in rugged and rocky terrain, having a few forests here and there, but only enough to throw it over the border to call it a Class M planet. Katt looked out of the cockpit window of her ship. Below them there were buildings that resembled rough factories and houses, many that looked like they had been either destroyed or half destroyed at one time. In the distance she could see other buildings, some that were much larger than the earlier ones. One was easily the size of three football fields in length. 

Bill watched as the Catspaw settled down to the ground, and he followed suit, landing his Cornerian Fighter near Katt's ship. The cockpit hatch of the Catspaw opened and Katt jumped out, landing gracefully on the ground. 

"What's the use of coming here, Katt?" Bill asked her as he climbed out of his ship. He looked around.

"Star Wolf was last seen here, and I think they have something to do with that imposter." replied Katt.

Bill went wide-eyed, his expression one of surprise and disbelief as he stared at Katt. He _really_ hoped that she wasn't planning on trying to find Star Wolf. That would be like committing suicide! 

"You're _WHAT_?" He got it now. He had heard her wrong. That had to be it! "You're joking, right?" No answer. She only smiled. "_Right?"_

"I didn't say I was going to do anything, now did I?" She gave him a look of innocence. "Besides, I can't have all the fun." 

"I don't think I like your definition of fun." Bill mumbled to himself as he walked a few feet behind Katt as she walked toward the small industrial city, or what was left of it. 

They had settled their ships down on the city's outskirts, so it was only a couple of minutes before they found themselves walking down one of the city's streets toward the large building that Katt had seen from the sky earlier. Nobody seemed to be living anywhere. Maybe at one time, but not any longer. The city was literally crumbling apart.

The large sized factory building didn't look any better. The main doorway that served as the entrance inside was completely blocked by fallen debris. As far as Katt and Bill could tell there weren't any other ways of getting in. The sound of an aircraft engine in braking mode caught their attentions. A small Venomian supply ship slowly entered the area. A large hatch door lifted up from the ground, and the Venomian ship slowly entered in.

Katt and Bill took off running, barely making it into the entrance before the hatch closed. 


	5. Chapter V

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F r a m e d

-chapter five-

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By Kattz Maricle

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Bill looked on as the Venomian supply ship landed near some other, smaller ships, most of which looked like fighters. Three soldiers approached it and started unloading its cargo. 

"Check this out." Bill whispered. "What do you think they're unloading?" No answer. "Katt?"

He turned around. Katt was nowhere to be seen. Katt was kneeling behind a large crate, watching as a very familiar ship was refueled. The ship's pilot stood next to his ship, watching as the fuel line was disconnected from the ship and the ship's fuel port was closed. 

"Is everything ready?" Wolf O'Donnell asked one of the soldiers standing near the Wolfen II. 

"Not yet, sir." The soldier answered in reply. 

Wolf grabbed the front of the soldier's uniform and growled out his words. "Then get it ready! Patience isn't one of my strong points."

He dropped the soldier, turned, and walked away. The soldier, visibly shaken, picked himself up off of the ground and started shouting orders to the others nearby. The pace which everyone was moving quickened noticeably.

"What was he talking about?" Katt asked herself out loud. Then she felt a hand on her shoulder, and her first reaction was to stand up and...

Her fist connected squarely with the end of Bill's muzzle. Bill stumbled back, holding his bleeding nose with one paw as he looked at her, amazed. He decided right then and there that he'd think twice before walking up behind Katt again.

"Don't you know never to sneak up on a girl?" Katt put her hands on her hips, looking at the husky as he held his nose. She turned back around, looking around the crate once again at the Wolfen II.

"I'm sorry, Bill. I shouldn't have punched you in the nose." Bill muttered to himself as he walked over to the crate that served as her hiding space. He was holding a rag up to his nose. "Is your nose ok? Well, not really, Katt, it is bleeding, ya know." 

"Be quiet! Do you want us to get caught?" She turned around and glared at him.

Almost as soon as she looked at him her eyes went wide. Her gaze was no longer centered on him, but on something just behind him. He turned around and saw what she was staring at. The end of a blaster was pointed in their direction, and the one holding the blaster was none other than Leon Powalski.

"Nice of you to visit us." The chameleon grinned. "Too bad you can't stay." 

"Now Leon, they came all the way from Corneria to see us." Katt and Bill looked over at Wolf made an appearance, walking out from behind a row of tall crates. "It'd be rude of us to let them go without a proper welcome."

"I thought being rude was something you excelled at." Katt stated rather flatly. 

"We're just a bunch of misunderstood individuals trying to make a living." Wolf said, smirking. Leon snickered at the remark. "Leon, find our guests a room. We have to make sure they're good and comfortable for the show."

"What are you talkin' about?" asked Bill.

Wolf looked at the husky. "Don't get too anxious. You'll find out soon enough."

Just then, a soldier ran up and saluted Wolf. "Sir, Star Fox has been located in Sector Z!"

Wolf grinned. The show might just get started a little sooner than he had expected. Star Fox was going to be part of the main act...


End file.
